


'Cause though the truth may vary,

by inkingbrushes



Series: Honey you shine bright, brighter, brightest [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-15
Updated: 2013-01-15
Packaged: 2017-11-25 08:09:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/636861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkingbrushes/pseuds/inkingbrushes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Basically, Louis is a hotshot footballer, Harry is a pop-star, the Universe likes to play her games and it's all about fate and destiny and this is what happens. Plus, it shouldn't be a secret that the Universe likes to hideout in Tesco, because, well, it's Tesco.</p>
            </blockquote>





	'Cause though the truth may vary,

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this a while back and decided to re-write some bits and pieces of it. Title taken from a line of Monsters and Men's 'Little Talks'. Also, I have a thing for the Universe taking on a form and being all motherly and all of that, fate and destiny and games, that kinda thing.

The thing is, the universe takes one person, and then a second one and then she throws them together. Some people think its fate, some people think its just coincidence that they were both at the right place and at the right time but some people think that it's because it's another chance of something that's truly meant to be.

And then there are times when the universe would rather take one person, and then a second, and she knows that they'll be so perfect for each other, that nobody else can compare or nobody else will ever be enough but them for one another and then - and then she doesn't even let their paths cross, doesn't even let them meet. 

It's all miracles and happy ever afters but behind that, after every smile, there is always the cruel twist of fate.

Your heart might beat that much louder and faster when you see the one person that she specifically picked out for you, and you might notice the changes within you but you'd never meet, you'd never really know them and it's just like that, isn't it?

You pass by the one person who is supposed to be your soul mate and don't even get a chance of meeting them, of actually getting to know them. No chance at all. 

And so it ends before it even begins and both of you aren't aware of the one big thing that you're going to be missing your whole life - each other.

So, here's how it goes. 

\--

Louis wakes up to his mobile ringing and he cringes because why the hell is his ringtone set to that annoying and screechy pop song all his sisters seem to love? He rolls off the couch - it's only come to him now that he'd been so trashed the other night he didn't even make it to his own room - and he gropes around blindly for his phone.

It's too early, the curtains are drawn and he wants to maybe throw the couch at Zayn who is to blame for all of this. Maybe it was such a bad decision to drag his best friend out of London and bring him to Manchester, but the thing is, Louis gets homesick a lot and he thought that maybe having Zayn with him wouldn't be too bad. 

Except sometimes it gets horribly annoying when Zayn literally kicks him out of bed or rolls him off the couch and draws all the curtains, Louis waking up to blinding light.

Finally, his fingers find his phone. His ears are starting to hurt from the constant ringing - more like annoying screeching - "Yeah?" Louis starts, tripping around the pillows and the blanket Zayn must've thrown over him when he stumbled into the flat sometime around morning. 

"Lou, Lou!" It's too early for more screeching, Louis decides, but it's Lottie and there isn't anything he wouldn't drop for her. There's Fizz and Daisy in the background and they're all trying to talk to him too, screaming over each other about how much they missed him and would he please try to avoid more ankle injuries because he's causing mum a right nervous breakdown whenever it's reported he'd sported another injury or been tackled harshly to the ground. Every time, Louis just laughs and nods and then tells them he loves them all, misses them and that he'll come over maybe on the weekend when he gets laid off from practices. 

Lottie is still talking and Louis' clueless to what she's saying until she mentions - "They're gonna be up in Manchester for the afternoon, signings, Lou! You remember, right? You promised me." Her words are rushed, tripping over each other and at the same time they sound accusatory, like Louis' really forgotten something so important like an album signing for Lottie.

"What? No, 'course I haven't. Just woken up, is all. I'll meet you at the train station this noon, yeah? Talked about mum about this, she said we're both good to go." He hears her let out a deep breath before giggling and saying goodbye.

Louis plops back down on the couch, phone somewhere near his feet or maybe he's thrown it over the couch, he can't remember. His head is still throbbing, he feels so thirsty and his legs feel heavy, too. He can't remember much of last night, either, just that the team had been given a good week for a break because of Christmas. Celebration, right, yeah, and then he'd stumbled back into the flat and didn't even reach his room. Drinks, loads and loads of drinks. Music, loud music and not enough food - thankfully - because if he had stuffed himself the other night then he'd probably have been heaving already the first thing he woke up.

"Zayn," Louis finally gives in and calls Zayn. Zayn doesn't answer but he pads out of his bedroom, gives him a once over and then sits down on the opposite end of the couch. "Zayn, Zayn, I have a problem."

"What, getting yourself injured during practices and almost getting yourself killed every other game or is it the drinking?" Zayn is quick to supply, cradling between his hands a steaming cup of tea. Louis glares, eyes narrowing at the tea. He reaches for it but Zayn just rolls his eyes and kicks his hand away, smirking a bit.

"You take pleasure in my pain." Louis murmurs, scooting closer to Zayn and burrowing his face in the cotton of his shirt. 

"You kidnapped me out of London and dumped me here, I think I have the right to take pleasure in your self-inflicted pain." He swats Louis away but there's that fond smile on his face and Louis gives him a good two minutes before he gives in fully and hands his tea over. 

"But that's not the problem, see." Louis pushes on, dropping the previous argument. 

Zayn finally settles beside him and hands him the tea. Louis grins down at it, taking a cautious sip. He sighs after and relaxes beside Zayn. "The problem is, while the tea is working wonders on the hangover, I don't think I'm emotionally ready - "

"You've never been, not emotionally stable, either. Nothing stable 'bout you, Lou." Zayn interjects and Louis pinches him in the side, making Zayn squirm, almost knocking the cup of tea out of his hands and coming close to dangerously spilling it all over them. "Twat! Yeah, yeah, go on."

"As I was saying, you bastard. Lottie's coming over and there's that band - "

"Hardly a band." Zayn murmurs, an amused expression on his face now. 

"Can't even finish a proper sentence!" Louis brings the cup to his mouth and takes another long sip, giving Zayn enough time to laugh at him silently - they both work out in the oddest of ways, really, but after every long day of practice, Louis' always been thankful that he has Zayn. 

"Boy group, pop band, whatever. And I've got to take her and of course I'd love to spend some time with my sister but it's the hundreds - " Louis stops because he sees Zayn open his mouth, probably with another snide comment. The only thing Zayn says is, 'thousands, mate, thousands of screaming girls' and Louis groans.

"Can't even handle you talking right now without feeling like my head might burst!" Zayn plucks the cup out of his hands and Louis buries his face into Zayn's shoulder while Zayn laughs at him, and really, some days, especially on mornings where Louis can't even properly tell which side is left and which is right, can't quite remember what's in the kitchen or where his room is, he hates the shit out of Zayn. 

\--

He sees Zayn grumbling to the side, a cigarette rolled between his fingers, it's unlit and Louis knows he's not planning on smoking, not inside the mall and certainly not when there are over a hundred - a thousand? Louis cringes. - girls all over the place. 

Lottie's tugging on his hand and Louis tries not to let people stare at him for too long, walks around quick paced with Zayn following to the side, eyeing him daggers because, once again, Louis' dragged his ass out of the flat and thrown him into this massive sea of girls, all screaming for that one band - boy, pop group, whatever - and Lottie is part of them, practically bouncing beside him while they wait in queue. She's gripping so tightly on his hand and Louis is only thankful that he doesn't play goalie because he feels his fingers might have broken with just how tightly she's holding on, crushing, even. 

Louis thinks that, yeah, these girls are probably too young, some of them just edging on children, children!, to notice him and he breathes a sigh of relief, because his first day of break and everything's going just fine. That is, besides all the screaming and nervous energy around him and his best friend wanting to throw him into a burning elevator. 

He hears them murmuring behind him, though, and he looks over his shoulder, catches a few teenagers eyeing him and, yeah, he definitely hears his name. Lottie is chatting with Zayn who is (willing or unwillingly) holding onto the paper bag Lottie's bought, as well as an album for the boy band to sign. Louis can't even place a name on them, really, and only ever heard of one song - something about a thing and it being one, that sort of thing. 

"Hi," Louis hears someone say. He looks to the left to see that a girl had squeezed her way into his part of the line and is smiling at him, a little bit coyly. She has a hand out and he reaches for it, shakes it with a small smile of his own. "Louis Tomlinson, I'm such a big fan." 

Her friend is beside her now, shaking Louis' hand in two of hers and she's got a huge smile and Louis greets them, wants this to be over really soon. It's not like he isn't used to the fans attention or anything, but it's embarrassing because these girls are all here for a boy band and they're flocking over to him and, sure, Louis isn't selfish or vain and, truth be told, he does get a little bit shy on his own with all the fans, without his team with him. 

Zayn eyes him over Lottie's head and Lottie is glaring at the girls like they're off to steal her older brother. Louis just smiles with them as a camera flashes and more heads turn their way and murmuring breaks out that - 'It's that youngest player from Man-U, he's here, he's here and oh my goodness isn't he cute?! Oh, but that Tomlinson looks even fitter up this close.' And, yeah, the attention of the crowd's on him now and Lottie's pushed a girl back so she could stand beside Louis, nudging him with her elbow and looking around them. 

He mouths, 'sorry' at her which earns him a little roll of her eyes, "It's really not surprising, Lou." Lottie says with an amused little smile that has Louis sighing of relief. 

"I think those girls are wrong, though. You look much handsome when you're just a tiny speck on the television in a large arena." Zayn says, just over his shoulder, and Louis lets out a little laugh as two more girls come over with pens, asking him to sign the back of their posters. It's a bit awkward, Louis signing the blank side of the poster that the girls should be giving to the band to sign but he does it anyway because he likes his fans, never ever has taken their attention and adoration for granted, always wanting to live up to their expectations - youngest and probably one of the most skilled in Manchester United. 

After what seems like hours - it's been two hours, Zayn supplies, ever the wonderful ray of sunshine - the boy band arrives and the screaming doesn't rise up to a deafening roar like what Louis is used to. He's used to the constant screams during matches but it isn't quite the same like this, not when he's smack dab in the middle of countless girls all screaming for attention or hysteria - Louis (and he thinks Zayn is, too) leaning more towards the latter. 

"I think my ears might've burst." Zayn says, fingers digging into his arm and Louis doesn't even want to think of this as payback for Zayn being a prat every morning, because the screams are more like screeching now and the girls are pushing, wanting to be at the front of the line. He sees the boys, three of them, climb the steps to the stage and he sees them wave before they take their seats on the long table, playing with their pens and not so much eyeing the crowd anymore but fiddling with the sleeves of their coats or uncapping their bottles of water, talking with each other. 

Louis looks out behind him and he sees girls crying and screaming, sees Lottie beside him, is really positive now that he can't feel anything from his left hand anymore, the pressure of her hand tight on his, crushing. 

And then Louis looks to the front again, eyeing the three boys and thinking - yeah, this is going to take a while. 

\--

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Louis hears Lottie say beside him, jumping up and down now as they wait their turn. She'd passed Louis and Zayn two copies of the album for the boys to sign, too - For Fizzy and Daisy! Louis looks at Zayn and Zayn isn't even looking annoyed, even, he looks amused, while Louis just wants this all to be over with. Dragged all the way into a hoard of screaming girls just for an autograph. He looks down at the album - One Direction - right, now he has the band's name. 

"Oh my goooodddd, Lou." Lottie repeats, tugging on his arm as she starts the steps, their turn finally coming. Zayn fumbles with his phone, following just behind Lottie while Louis, with a deep breath as if this is going to take a hell of a lot of his time and energy, starts for the stage.

He passes the brunette, first, and he looks oddly surprised to find a guy who looks like he could be their age up on the stage. Louis smiles at him, "Can you sign it for my sister? F-i-z-z-y. Thanks, mate." Louis says and moving on along to the one in the middle, a lanky boy with a mop of curly brown hair. He takes the album, copies off the name from the first guy and then when he looks up, he's got a huge grin on his face, dimples pressing into the side of his cheeks and bright, green eyes that makes Louis feel like his breath might've caught in his throat - he refuses to acknowledge something like that's happening. Maybe he's just been star struck, clearly not blown out of his mind over this curly mopped kid. Clearly. 

Curly blinks up at him and then back down at the album, "Your name's Fizzy?" His voice is slow and amused and Louis shakes his head. 

"My sister." Louis says, taking the album. But before he can take it, the guy does a double take and then points at him, over excited. 

"Oh my god!" Louis cringes, because he's been hearing the same phrase over and over again from Lottie and he sees Zayn turn around to look at him, having just taken Lottie's picture with the blonde one. 

"Yeah?" Louis says, voice dropping low because he really doesn't want this to happen right now.

"Tommo from Man-U!" Curly - because Louis really hadn't bothered to learn their names. It's not like he doesn't care, he's just not interested in them. Or their music. If it weren't for his sisters then there was no way in hell he'd be doing this for anybody else. "Mate, you're like a legend. Can I - " And the guy stands up and reaches his hand over the table and Louis looks at him, eyes wide but he shakes his hand, too.

The line has stopped and everyone's looking at them now because the pop star's just bouncing excitedly and shaking some guy's hand. "Liam, look!" He points to Louis and the guy to his right looks up and recognition floods his face. 

He smiles, apologetic but he shakes Louis' hand, too, and mumbles an apology. "Can't believe I didn't recognize you."

"S'all good, mate." Louis says, feeling like every single spotlight's on him, and it's burning, all this attention. 

"Louis Tommo!" The blonde one - Irish accent, right. - practically jumps off his seat and his chair almost falls over in his haste to get to Louis, too. He shakes his hand and laughs. "Can't believe this. You're a fan?" His eyes drop to the album, "Ah, sister." 

They finally settle back down but Curly still has his album and Louis smiles down at him. When he meets his gaze, he feels something in him tighten. Star struck, that's what's getting to him. 

"Wait, hold on. Can I have a - " Curly scrambles for a piece of paper, finally pulls one from underneath Liam's arm and he thrusts it at Louis, green eyes expectant. 

"What?" Louis says, looking down at the paper. "Oh, oh." Louis feels his own cheeks flush a bit, tainting pink now, a little bit embarrassed. But he takes the pen and signs it. When Louis looks up at him, he sees that the other boy is positively beaming now. 

"Harry Styles." He says, and Louis writes it down, feeling a bit like he's part of some horrible joke - a TV show, maybe? 

Harry reaches over again and shakes Louis' hand one more time before falling back on his chair, a grin too big and too bright on his face. "I'm a big fan." Harry is leaning into the table, looking up at him and Louis looks back at the queue of girls who are waiting for their turn and at the security guards who're just allowing this incredibly long exchange between them. 

He swallows. 

Louis wishes he could say the same thing to Harry, though, but he isn't a fan, only knows one song from them but he smiles down at him and moves on to the blonde one, Niall. He doesn't miss the way Harry deflates when he's farther down the table but he's got a handful of bouncing Irish now asking for his autograph. 

"It's a double L, mate." Niall says through a grin - Louis praises himself because he actually remembered this bloke's name! - and Louis just laughs and passes him the paper. "Always been a Liverpool supporter but you're sick on the field, Tommo." 

"Thanks." Louis says. He takes the album from him and looks over his shoulder one last time to see Liam give him a thumbs up, hears him say, over the roar of the crowd: Thanks for coming! 

And Louis feels like it should be him thanking them because he's only here for his sisters, he certainly hadn't expected this sort of reaction from them but he grins anyway and turns away, only to find a woman in a tailored suit blocking his path. 

She eyes him before she smiles and offers her hand for a shake. Louis shakes it, not quite knowing what to do or who she is but he goes along with it. "Mister Tomlinson, brilliant to have you with us. You wouldn't mind for a picture with the boys, would you?" 

He doesn't know how it's happened so fast but he's pressed in between Niall and Harry and they're all standing so close to him, their arms thrown behind him and hooking around his waist and he's smiling for the photographer at the same time as a dozen more cameras flash at them. 

Louis disentangles himself from between the two boys to find that Niall's still bouncing beside him, finds all his energy amusing. "I think my sisters might kill me for that." 

Niall laughs beside him and pats him once on the shoulder. "Really good to meet you, Tommo."

\--

The drive back to their flat has Lottie practically screaming in the car because One Direction had asked for his autograph. Even Zayn looked shocked at Louis' own popularity (to be honest, Louis was surprised himself, too.). 

"And you got to take a picture with them!" Lottie is still saying as Louis drops his bags onto the couch. 

"That was...Erm, wasn't what I expected." But Louis feels fire underneath his skin, the same kind of energy he gets right after a game, like he's still pretty much wired to do more. He falls onto the couch and feels like the day is just beginning, feels every nerve of his on edge. It was surreal, if he had to admit it. All that attention from the girls and the actual recognition from the pop stars, while Louis wasn't in football for the fame, it was still sort of amazing, that feeling of, well, of fame. 

He hadn't expected anything like that, really. But just as realization hit him and settled all around him, he finds himself laughing, brushing off sweat off his forehead. "That was, well, fuck." 

"You really are famous, mate." Zayn says from over the kitchen and Lottie just giggles - Louis thinks she's starting to form a shady little plan in that evil little head of hers and he's pretty sure Lottie isn't above throwing him into a sea full of sharks, use him as bait to get to that boy band and Louis is a good enough older brother to just go with it. They'll run him to his death and he wouldn't mind, really. 

When he opens Twitter, he's surprised to find that he's trending - not something new, but it's not like he's done anything football related for him to trend, right?

'Can't believe I got to meet the Tommo today!' from Harry Styles, and then another underneath - 'Such a fan, thanks for dropping by! And much love to your sisters, xx.' the tweet ending with a mention.

He hears Lottie's scream from the kitchen with Zayn and Louis types up a quick, 'No problem! Thanks loads for today as well. x', following Harry (and the other two as well, while he's at it) before dropping his phone to the side. 

Lottie tackles him into the sofa, giggling and laughing and Louis wraps her up in a hug. 

"My older brother, friends with One Direction!" She says into his neck, nuzzling closer to him. 

Beside him, another tweet pops up in his timeline and he grins because it's the blonde one this time, thanking him. Minutes behind each other, he gets another one from Liam and Louis feels like this shouldn't really be something that's got him so on edge but it is because this is different, really. 

There's a sort of knot in his chest now and Louis feels, well.

Proud.

He feels proud and pleased and he's happy, that's what he feels. 

"You'll meet them again, right Lou? And then bring me along?" Lottie whispers, sounding more quiet now beside him. Louis squeezes her into another hug and presses a kiss to her forehead. 

"If you're a good girl, then maybe." 

\--

Then, and then there are times where the universe feels kind enough and much less bitter and resentful that she takes one person, and then a second one, and they're supposed to fall in love but not yet so she just lets them meet, finally, and then she does nothing else because the rest are theirs to take action on, the cards are all in their hands and she's only delivered them to each other and deep down, she hopes that they really do make it. 

It really might not be like fate or destiny or anything like that and it may be more about the fame of how they'd met, but it's still the same and she knows it'll take a while, that it's going to be slow but it's there, she'd done her job and now she's done. 

\--

And so it begins.

\--

Tesco's.

The universe isn't picky about these kinds of things and she'd had just snapped her fingers and that's that, because so what if it all happens in Tesco, anyway? 

Louis tries to grab for a box of crackers at the top of the shelf when he drops his basket to the floor. He curses his height sometimes, but then again, it's not like height's always been a major importance in football. 

He bends down to grab his basket off the floor, sees a hand outstretched when he straightens back up. 

Louis finally looks up at the face and he takes a small step back at the sight in front of him. Curly brown hair and a nervous smile that says he's not quite sure why he's doing this but at the same time asking if it's okay that he's approached him. Harry Styles looks nervous and Louis thinks it's a cute look on him - a thought he quickly pushes to the back of his mind with a minute shake of his head. 

He grabs the box and drops it into his basket before smiling at him. "Harry, hey. Thanks, mate." Louis says and Harry's hand twitches at his side like he wants to shake Louis' again and Louis looks at Harry fidgeting, clearly nervous about this.

It amuses Louis, how a big pop star like him can be so nervous around him. He's not even that big of a footballer internationally, anyway. He comes to the conclusion that maybe Harry's just a really, really big fan of football. 

"Hi." Harry finally says when Louis just stares at him, expectant and waiting for a reply. There's something adorable about the guy he's barely known except for a few exchanged tweets - Harry had tweeted him good luck for his game and said he'd be watching. And Louis felt the knot in his chest loosen at that, knowing someone like Harry Styles was going to be watching.

But it wasn't like Louis was still star struck or anything, it was just odd to him how someone like Harry, so busy with the whole celebrity life, would have time to take an interest in him or his game. Massive football fan, that's it. 

"D'you mind if I - ?" Harry starts, gesturing to his own basket. Louis finds himself nodding and smiling a bit, not at all minding.

"First time doing my grocery with a pop star," Louis says, glancing over to Harry as they make their way down the aisle. Harry snorts out a little laugh that he tries to cover up with a hand and Louis bites at his lower lip, trying not to let his own grin spill.

They reach the counter and Louis starts to unload his basket, waiting for Harry at the end once everything's bagged and ready. "You know, I think you might've given Niall a sort of crises when it comes to his clubs. Massive Liverpool fan, but your match against them the other day had Ni a bit rattled." 

"Can't have been feeling biased, was he?" Louis says, stopping just at the parking lot as Harry leaned against the rails. 

"Could've been. Heard him saying he wanted to support Man-U because he's got a good mate there." And Louis laughs at that because Niall is probably one of the easiest people he's ever met, probably the first person besides Zayn that he's gotten along well with from the start. 

Harry looks sheepish, like he's now not sure about what he'd just said. They barely know each other, really, but Louis' been exchanging texts from Niall and it's all playful banter, really. "Hey, it's good. I can say the same for you lot, too. Good mates with pop stars, that's not something you hear a lot of people say."

Louis watches as Harry tips his head back into another laugh, his hand not coming up to stop it anymore. He barks out a loud laugh and Louis just smiles at him from his side, feeling like he really could hear that laugh more and more, wouldn't mind making him laugh like that, because. 

"Sorry, I'm probably holding you up. Is your car far or - ?" Harry asks, looking around the parking lot. Louis just shrugs his shoulders in a no.

"Nah, walked here. My flat's only a few blocks down. Why are you here though?" Louis peers around the parking lot now like he's looking for cameras, waiting for someone to jump out of a bush. He sees the tension from Harry's shoulder relax and Louis thinks it's because nobody's jumped on him the whole time he was out on his own, big pop star and all. 

"Got a concert in two days and we're here early for rehearsals. Boys were hungry but neither of them wanted to come with, so I decided to buy my own groceries." Harry says, pointing at his bag.

"Not much for three boys," Louis observes making Harry laugh again and say, "Nah, just for me. Lazy bastards can go buy their own groceries." 

Louis finds the way Harry's eyes light up when he said that adorable, like Harry had just told him the greatest secret ever and felt smug because he'd done it, pulled it off. 

There's that horrible knot inside his chest again and it's getting tighter, tighter, almost like it's suffocating him and it's strange, really, because this conversation with Harry is more okay than awkward. 

"D'you want a ride?" 

"You wanna grab coffee?" 

They say at the same time and they both pause before Louis breaks off into a grin and then out into a laugh, Harry following. "I'll drive us to get some coffee, yeah? Best of both worlds." 

If there's anything Louis' found in Harry today that's more endearing than his laugh then it's his smile. It looks like it's brightening up his whole face, his dimples pressing in deep. For a split second Louis wonders what it'd be like to press a thumb gently into one of Harry's dimple, or press his fingers into the side of his face and wait for him to smile, feeling it rather than seeing it. He wonders, and then it's all gone as he catches himself. 

They have coffee in a cafe that Louis' pointed out for Harry, a few blocks down and by a corner. It's not popular and Louis' right when he said that it'd be empty around this time. They settle in a table just to the far left, a little ways from the counter and had coffee and talked, actually talked that by the end of the conversation, they've already swapped numbers and Louis thinks that Harry isn't so bad after all. 

It hadn't even come to him that it's already past the afternoon when they both lean back into their chairs and look around. The sun's starting to set and it looks like it's going to rain, judging from how windy it is outside. Louis looks at Harry from across the table and Harry looks up at him through the mess of curly brown hair and inclines his head just a little bit to the side, silently asking if there's anything wrong.

Louis shakes his head because not really, he's only just watching him. But he doesn't say that because then it'd be weird how closely he was watching Harry, maybe it'd throw Harry off and, well, as little as this was between them, Louis thinks he wants to keep it. 

A little part of his brain says that it's all because Harry's a pop star and his sisters love him, that's why but then there's another little voice that says that maybe it's not Lottie and maybe it's not because he's a pop star, maybe it's 'cause he's got a good smile. 

\--

Zayn knocks on his open door that has Louis looking up from his bed, having rolled around practically the whole day. Zayn raises a cup of tea and Louis lets out a sound that's close to a whimper as he throws his arms up. 

"Life saver!" Louis says and Zayn plops down beside him and pushes the cup into his waiting hands. 

He takes a few sips of it and settles back down into his pillows and waits for whatever it is Zayn's planning for the day or has done already. He checks his clock by the bed stand and finds that it's already five in the afternoon, the whole day having gone past him already. 

"Been busy the past few days?" Zayn asks casually, toeing his shoes off and lifting the duvet so he could slip in under. 

Louis shrugs, "Yeah?" 

"Yeah. Pictures all over the internet, Lou." Zayn doesn't miss a bit nor does he bat an eyelash at that and it doesn't sound accusatory at all, it sounds like a simple observation. 

"Being friendly with him, alright? Lottie loves them and he's in the area, so I thought, couple of coffees wouldn't hurt." Louis hates how he sounds defensive even to his own ears and Zayn beside him just smirks but he cuddles in closer to Louis anyway and pinches his side. 

"Right, ace footballer hanging 'round with a pop star." There's a teasing little tone underlying Zayn's words and Louis puts his tea down and just elbows Zayn on the chest, telling him to shut up because he's already wasted his whole day in bed and now that Zayn's here, he's about to waste the whole afternoon just cuddled up together. 

\--

He gets the call at around eleven in the evening and Zayn's rolled off to the other side of the bed. Louis hears the One Direction song again and it's annoyance and irritation all over again because he should be asleep, really. Spent the whole day doing nothing and now he's being waken up at eleven by god knows who.

Louis finds his phone from the floor and doesn't bother with caller ID, just brings it to his ear. He doesn't say anything but he hears something breathe out from the other end and then, "Lou, yeah? We're at Bijou, and I don't know if it's far from yours but - But the concert's just ended and we're having an after party of sorts, and I thought, yeah? Would you come?" 

There's the sound of the thumping bass behind him and Louis can hear it calling to him. It's been how long since his last night out? The last time's been the one just before their winter break off for the holidays and that was with the team. And it's in Bijou, Christ, it's like that club loves him over there, so so hungry for his presence all the time.

"I'll be there." Louis finds himself saying. He sounds like he's still half asleep but he's already flicking a light on and heading for the bathroom. 

He slips on a jacket and watches as Zayn toes on some shoes from the other end of the room, grumbling. "Who did you say was going to be there?"

Louis feels a bit guilty for waking Zayn up but it's not like Zayn doesn't needs this. While Louis' busy with football, Zayn's busy with university and he's stressed, Louis' seen that and this is just another night for him to unwind, or at least, learn to unwind, anyway. He flashes Zayn a grin when they both step out into the cold, Zayn tugging on his gloves as he follows Louis down the drive. 

"I really shouldn't, Lou. I've got a nine thirty class tomorrow." But even as he says it, Zayn's already making his way into the other side of the car and Louis just grins as he starts the engine. "If I fail, your leg's going to be broken by a sudden freak accident." 

Louis only laughs at that, pats at Zayn's knee before he backs out of the street and then starts for the club, his veins already feeling the burn. 

\--

He honestly doesn't know how this happened, really. One minute he's sitting on a booth and then the next he's dragged into the center of the dance floor, blinking back at the strobe lights and at the loud music and all the bodies pressed up against him, dancing and laughing and he's throwing his head back because as much as the field was his element, this was also second nature to him. 

Just getting lost in the lights and the music and the dancing and the energy of everyone, just everything around this place gets him high and he's not even drunk yet.

When he feels hands settle on either side of his waist, Louis turns around to face them full on and stops when he sees Harry, all flushed and a little bit sweaty Harry Styles, his green eyes brighter than ever and the smile on his face less adorable and more of a smirk now. 

Louis raises an eyebrow but he keeps moving and they're both dancing and Louis really shouldn't because this won't be good for either of them but of all the times he's told himself he shouldn't, that it's no good he hasn't actually stopped because he can't, not when he's so lost in all of this, in the goddamn atmosphere, drowning in the lights and the music, he's helpless and he's not in control anymore so he takes Harry and it's not meant to be harmless for either of them, it's meant to be burning and ecstatic just like Louis' every nerve. 

\--

He wakes up in his own room this time and on his bed, not on the couch. 

Louis touches a hand to his temple and groans because his head is throbbing. He's about to try and roll down onto the floor, maybe it'll rid the hangover away, falling onto the cold marble floors, when he notices an arm slung loosely around his waist and holding on to him.

He hesitates before he looks down and sees the string of words inked into the skin and Louis' breath catches in his throat when he feels Harry tug him closer, nose nuzzling into his hair. He breathes in a sigh of relief, though, because if Harry still hasn't left then it means that Louis wasn't that out of control the other night, probably didn't let things get too far.

But he's in bed now and Harry's draped all over him and, yeah, he let that one go too far. 

When he tries to get up, extract himself from Harry's hold, Harry only pulls him in closer. "But it's cold." His voice is thicker and slower because of sleep and he sounds like a whining little child, holding on tightly to Louis for warmth.

Louis can't help but turn around in the circle of his arms and run a hand through the curls, not quite remembering doing so the other night. He closes his eyes tight and allows himself to breathe, to just feel the other boy beside him.

He presses a few fingers to the side of Harry's face and Harry's eyes flutter open against Louis' forehead and it's there, Louis can feel it. He feels the way Harry's lips twitch up and then spread into a slow smile, feels his dimples to the side of his face and Louis finally opens his eyes and smiles, a bit tentative now. 

"I have a pop star in my bed." is the first thing he says and Harry laughs, that painful little laugh that's caught Louis so completely. 

Louis leans in and kisses him mid laugh, but pulls back away because, ugh, morning breath. Harry looks stunned but doesn't really mind and leans back in to press a much softer and lighter kiss to the edge of Louis' jaw. 

"And I got with a footballer. I think this is a score for both of us, yeah?" 

\--

And there's a process of give and take, of happiness and sadness and not all things can work out but when the universe decides that there's two people on earth who really should be together, then it all works out, one way or another.

\--

Louis and Harry.

Harry and Louis.

And in the span of a few months they've become LouisandHarry and HarryandLouis. 

Louis thinks that it's surreal, that at some point something's going to bend and break and everything will just shatter but Harry's by the stands and he's all dressed up in red and Louis waves at him when he rushes out of the field, sees Niall beside him cheering.

Then there's Harry pulling him against him just before a concert, in a dressing room two minutes before he has to get on stage. Louis kisses him deep and pushes him against a wall, runs his hand down his side, settling them on either side of his waist and hugs him, whispers the same thing Harry does just before he goes out to play, 'You'll be absolutely brilliant and I'll be watching you and you're going to be beautiful out there.' 

When he sees the smile on Harry's face, sees how he's thrilled at that, feels his lips pressing softly against his forehead before they both pull away, Louis thinks that yeah, this really is the best of both worlds.

\--

One person, and then another one and it's not love at all because they don't even start but the thing with Louis and Harry is.

The universe, she took Louis, and then she took Harry, and she threw them both together and waited because this is how it really works, how the hands of fate and destiny and chances and second chances, third chances and coincidences work out, because it's to her calling and to her doing. 

That's how it goes. 

\--


End file.
